close encounters... of the road kill kind

After years of driving past "deer crossing" signs, I have finally seen one come to life. I have finally seen a deer crossing the road! In fact, I had a very good view... because he ran out right in front of my car. I was driving to work on Saturday afternoon along the same two-lane road I always drive, when I reached the top of a hill and -- right next to one of these very signs, no less -- a huge buck bolted from someone's front yard and right across the road in front of me.

Completely nonchalant and nonplussed by the little Jeep Liberty and the substantial Hummer that were about to make him into a very fresh venison sandwich, the deer simply held his head high as he bounded from one unsuspecting home owner's yard to another. I do believe he even struck the sign's very pose when he reached the center double-yellow line, as if to prove that the traffic sign artist had captured his skill and poise perfectly.

It was just a moment -- a flash of fur and antlers and squealing tires and swerving SUV's and flying shoulder dirt -- but it ended quickly and happily for all parties involved. The deer, of course, couldn't have cared less about the accident he almost caused. The Hummer driver and I had each swerved off the road to miss him, so we smartly avoided hitting each other in our attempts to not hit the deer. And as we recovered and continued to pass each other, he looked through his windshield at me, drew his hand across his forehead and mouthed a very big "WHEW!" :-)